Changing the exterior of our 1970's house - advice needed!
Hi there,
We've recently bought our first home and are in the process of renovating the inside. Although the interior is going well - we're stuck with ideas on how to bring the outside up to date.
We're in the process of converting the garage into a room (study) so the garage door will be going. I'd love a floor to ceiling crittall black style window in it's place - although I'm not sure if this will suit the house - it's more of a personal style that I like.
We have the budget to replace windows and front door and change/paint the dormer but are struggling to know which colours will look right for windows. We can't start extedning/cladding at this point as our budget won't stretch that far. We love darker colours and industrial styles but know this isn't in keeping with the style of this house so don't want to do something that ends up looking silly!
Any advice would be much appreciated,
Thanks in advance!
x
Comments (7)
Jonathan
3 years ago
PROMarienne Pachonick Architects
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Need suggestions how to give the front of our 1970's house a facelift!
Comments (10)You've done a lovely job on the back extension, which seems to be a totally different property from the front. The trick would be to alter the front, making it more modern and in keeping with your new extension. 1. Replace the windows with more modern ones like at the rear. You'll probably find that the small upstairs window is on a landing and there isn't room to make it bigger. If there is room to the left of the front door as you face the house from the street, consider making this a floor to ceiling glass window and glass door combination http://www.urbanfront.co.uk/images/doors/Image/clearglass_jpg.jpg . The upstairs window should be aligned to the glass window below it. Match the front door to the garage door. http://www.thegaragedoorcentre.co.uk/UserFiles/Image/Hormann%20Front%20entrance%20Doors/anthracite_300.jpg The entrance porch roof can be replaced and extended across the front, up to the left hand window, with glass and steel similar to the lantern on the back extension. Lastly, the front could be landscaped with a path from the driveway through a contemporary, low maintenance garden. Since you have several Mediterranean type plants, you might consider that kind of look. Include a specimen tree to the far left and lose the overgrown shrub near the driveway....See More2 years empty 1970s house. Whole lot needs doing. TERRIFIED!
Comments (29)Hi Allison Oz, assuming UK tax law applies to your situation I would say it is definitely worth looking into. It's not a situation I've come across before where you are retrospectively claiming back the VAT. However it may be that you first accumulate the evidence it was vacant for 2 years and then write to the builder requesting that he reissue the invoices and a refund. Your builder will need to adjust his VAT returns and possibly make a disclosure to HMRC. I would speak to the builder and ask him to speak to his accountant. You might find the following document useful. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-70045-how-to-correct-vat-errors-and-make-adjustments-or-claims/vat-notice-70045-how-to-correct-vat-errors-and-make-adjustments-or-claims...See MoreIdeas needed please to update the front of my 1970s house
Comments (11)Thank you Gina for the advice! I think it does have good lines - glad you think so too! I don't think our budget will extend to rendering the whole front of the house unfortunately. We will definitely be getting a new front door - and we are reluctant to paint the garage doors so will match the front door with them I think. I should have said the upstairs window will become a Juliet balcony. The cladding on the top dark area is the same as under the front window. We were thinking of replacing the cladding with more contemporary grey horizontal cladding but we're still left with the problem then of what to do with the brickwork ?!...See MoreHow can I make our bland 1970's exterior more appealing?!
Comments (12)It all comes down to budget as always. The bigger the budge the more you can do. I would be really mindful of the fact, that if you change the facade, it would be better if you could change the windows. The wood cladding I agree would look fabulous, you could have the bottom a lovely grey to tone in. However, neither will look good with bog standard white windows, as both look better with a dark grey, thinner Aluminium Frame or a Chunkier Sandy Beige Frame. When you add white windows, the effect is not quite so slick The pic above shows the white windows with the cladding and it would look a lot better with the darker, thinner frames. If you can't afford to change or colour bond the windows, then maybe go for all over colour, a dark grey would be good, and consider changing the Front door for impact. Alternatively, work towards doing the ultimate change. The vertical wood cladding, with a grey underneath and a door to match the wood. Thinner dark pewter aluminium framed windows etc. sorry about the mock up quality!...See More
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3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoCiara Falconi
3 years ago- PRO
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3 years ago 
Ribena Drinker
3 years ago
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